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Damsons, Preserved

Gather the damsons while the sun is on them, and when there has been no rain for twenty-four hours at least. They should be quite ripe, whole, and without blemish. To each jar, containing one quart of fruit, allow half a pound of good loaf sugar, and sprinkle it equally among the fruit in the jar, then set it in a vessel of cold water over a moderate fire and simmer, after it has come to a boil, fifty minutes, when the damsons will be soft, and must be allowed to get cold. Lose no time in completing the preserve. Untie the covers, and pour the juice into a preserving-pan, where it may boil fifteen minutes, and must then be strained over the fruit. Fasten down when cool, and store in a dry cool place.